This was undoubtedly the most brutal election I have ever witnessed. It unleashed a tsunami of strong, outraged emotions on both sides.

Even if your candidate won, the wounds of division may still be smarting. Victory doesn't necessarily erase smoldering emotions.

For the losing side, stress, grief, anger and fear are rampant.

This election stirred up a cortisol frenzy of raging stress hormones -- on both sides. Many are feeling burnout and exhaustion in the wake of it all.

When cortisol gets imbalanced, it can stay that way for long periods. This can play havoc on your health.

These tips help you lower stress and balance cortisol, now and any time:

1. Get outside, be in Nature. Wherever you live, a walk in a park or in the countryside can be balm to the soul. Get out of your head, breathe deeply and embrace your senses. Enjoy the sights and smells of autumn. Rake some leaves, plant some bulbs for spring bloom, as spring shall surely come.
   
   
2. Assess relationships: mend bridges, grow friendships or strengthen boundaries? Relationships of all kinds may be strained: family, friends, co-workers, casual acquaintances. Is it time to lay differences aside, mend bridges and recognize your shared humanity? After all, what most of us really want is:
   
   
   - Love and acceptance - regardless of race, color, creed, gender, sexual orientation, or political affiliation
   - Connection to each other and things bigger than us
   - Safety
   - Health
   
   It's likely that my next-door neighbors voted differently from me but I still love them. We connect on many things, and politics doesn't have to be one of them. I choose to continue to grow our friendship, not abandon it.
   
   Some people may be deeply negative right now. You may love them, but it's ok to keep your distance if their negativity is bringing you down.
   
   On the other hand, some people can be relentlessly toxic. Toxic people defy logic. Some are mindlessly unaware of the negative impact that they have on those around them, and others derive satisfaction from pushing other people’s buttons. Either way, they create unnecessary complexity, strife and stress.
   
   It's ok to give yourself some space and have firm boundaries. The more irrational someone is the more important it is for you to remove yourself from their traps:
   
   
   - Don't respond to their negativity and emotional chaos.
   - Don't try to beat them at their own game.
   - Distance yourself from them emotionally.
   - Block them on social media and email.
   - Consider writing a letter if you need that closure.
   - Don’t feel like you owe them a huge explanation.
   - Rise above it and establish firm boundaries. You just don't need it.
   
   
   
3. Begin your day with gratitude. Research shows that finding things to be grateful for can change your mood and your resilience. It only takes a minute or two and has a remarkable and lasting effect. Be as specific as possible. Rather than "I'm grateful for my cat," try "I'm grateful for my cat that snuggles and purrs and nestles her head in my hand and makes me feel good." Or instead of "I'm grateful for my friend", go deeper with "I'm grateful for my friend Cheryl who listens so closely, offers great insights, makes me laugh and really cares about me."
   
   Make it a daily ritual -- write each thought in a journal. Looking at what you wrote, take 10 deep breaths while holding your thoughts of gratitude to really anchor it into your body. Gratitude helps you through difficult situations, making change an opportunity to improve and rebuild because you are forcing yourself to see the good.
   
   
4. Volunteer for a good cause. It's good for the body, mind and spirit. And it strengthens communities, which has never been so important. Find an opportunity that speaks to you -- do you love kids, elders, animals? Love to garden or cook? Want to help the homeless or less fortunate? You can serve food, tutor, read, run errands, help garden, clean up a beautiful outdoor area or perform any of a number of gratifying services. Face-to-face contact in a kind and compassionate context can have profoundly calming effects.
   
   
5. Perform random acts of kindness. If you don’t have time for a regular volunteer commitment there are loads of opportunities for you to help someone or do something positive for another person. Random acts of kindness — a kind word, a small deed, a courtesy — all create positive and satisfying feelings within you and the people with whom you interact.
   
   
6. Nurture yourself with self-care. Take that long bath you never seem to get to. Pull out the aromatherapy oils gathering dust on the shelf. Exercise and stretch your body in a way you find pleasurable. Prepare and enjoy wholesome unprocessed food and give thanks to everyone who made it possible to get it from the field to the table.
   
   
7. Lay off the caffeine and sugar. When you're stressed, your adrenals are working overtime. Caffeine revs up your adrenals to pump out even more cortisol, raising your blood sugar, blood pressure, disturbing your mood and sleep and feeding exhaustion and burn-out. Stress can make you crave sweets, pushing your blood sugar even higher until the inevitable crash.

I want to do what I can to help you get through this.

My Golden Goddess Turmeric Chai and Turmeric Chocolate Elixirs are specially formulated with clinically-proven KSM-66 Ashwagandha for balancing cortisol and easing stress, anxiety and depression.

Soothing and satiating, they have just enough low-glycemic sweetness paired with crave-curbing spices to stop sugar cravings in their tracks -- with a healthy treat.

Their robust flavors hit the spot as satisfying coffee alternatives -- full-flavored chai with turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and clove -- and velvety full-fat organic heirloom raw cacao with a hint of spice.

I'm offering a 20% discount on Golden Goddess Turmeric Chai and Turmeric Chocolate Elixirs from now until Thurs Nov 17 -- on both our website and Amazon -- so you can have it your way :-)

Click here to get your coupons – be sure to use them at checkout.

If you're feeling the post-election blues, you're not alone. I hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Kitty